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Oilers sweep away Waves, win 5th straight

It didn't take long for the Peninsula Oilers to secure their first series sweep.

That's what Peninsula accomplished Friday at Coral Seymour Memorial Park, edging the San Diego Waves 2-1 to complete a four-game sweep of the Waves in nonleague action.

The Oilers improved to 5-2 overall in winning their fifth straight game. The team opens league play in the Alaska Baseball League against the Anchorage Glacier Pilots at 4 p.m. Sunday at Seymour Park.

"The most important thing is for the guys to get in the groove of playing on a daily basis," Oilers coach Dennis Machado said. "They are getting used to showing up each day and playing the game, doing the things they need to do."

Friday, the Oilers used rode another strong performance from their pitching staff, which allowed four runs over the four games against San Diego.

Justin Haley started for the second time this season and was crisp in four innings of work, allowing one run on four hits. He didn't walk a batter and struck out one.

The powerful right-hander said he felt more comfortable Friday than he did in his first start, an Oilers loss.

"Much better," Haley said of his outing. "That first start, it was my second day in Alaska and I think that got to me a little bit."

Haley figures to have secured a spot in Peninsula's starting rotation, which has yet to be finalized but is beginning to materialize. He mixed in cutters and curveballs after establishing his fastball, saying the Waves appeared off balance after the previous three games - two of which were shutouts by the Oilers staff.

Machado turned to the bullpen in the fifth, bringing in Kellen St. Luce for two innings and John Maciel for one before using four pitchers - J.D. Salles, James Mannara, Reese McGraw and Tyler Blum - in the eighth and ninth combined. St. Luce earned the win.

Blum pitched a scoreless ninth to preserve a one-run lead, although he walked two batters and let the would-be go-ahead run get to first base.

Machado expects the pitchers to get even better once league play begins.

"I think you're going to see them improve with every outing," Machado said, adding Haley was capable of going deeper than he did. "I could have left him in there for a long time. He was good today."

Peninsula stranded 10 runners, many in scoring position, but needed just five hits to secure the win.

San Diego starter and loser Shane Phillips issued seven walks in 4 1-3 innings, but escaped a slew of jams.

The Oilers got the deciding run in the bottom of the fifth when they loaded the bases with no outs. Patrick Wisdom, who had two doubles, reached to lead it off, and Jeff Yamaguchi and Tanner Rust followed with singles. After Wisdom was thrown out at home on a fielder's choice off the bat of Drake Fages, Manny Reyes earned a walk to force a runner in. A double play ended the threat, but that was all Peninsula would need.

Wisdom gave the Oilers a 1-0 lead with an RBI double in the bottom of the first, while the Waves tallied their lone run in top of the second on an RBI triple from outfielder Tim Rowley.

Although Machado said it was nice to earn the sweep, he said the team's mentality won't change heading into league play.

"Nothing different," he said. "It's still just baseball. It doesn't matter whether we're playing the Waves, the Glacier Pilots or the New York Yankees. We've got to go out and do the things we need to do to be successful."